Christ+Episcopal

= Christ Church Episcopal School Greenville, South Carolina =

= Overview = I spoke with Nancy White, CCES’s IB Coordinator. She has 20 years of total experience with the IB program ( 10 years at former schools, before coming to CCES); CCES has had an IB program for 10 years. The school just celebrated its 50th anniversary. The school has 300 students (grades 9-12). Their schedule is 8 periods per day; each course has 5 meetings per week.

= Assessments =

Example: IB assessment of 2-year English HL curriculum exam = 50%; oral performance = 30%; Sample work sent to IB. 2 papers that are marked by outside assessors = 20%.

= Downside to IB Program =

Getting started is the hardest part, and really the only negative she sees. ( By ‘getting started” she means that there are logistical tasks (the application process, teacher training, etc.), marketing of the program to the school community, financing issues – it isn’t necessarily a “downside” –it just takes a team effort.

= Effect on Curriculum =

Scheduling is an issue. AP and IB students may be placed in the same class in the 11th grade (if the courses are compatible); All students in an AP class are required to take the AP exam at the end. If a student is in IB, he may take both the AP and IB exams. = IB and AP Classes =

One distinction between the AP and IB is that the exam is never the only factor. Whereas a student might be ill or have extenuating circumstances on the day of an AP exam and thus receive a lower score than the student would have received under better circumstances. A**n IB __exam__ is NEVER the only factor in determining the mark for a subject. In all subjects, the exam mark is a part of the final mark – it varies from about 50% to about 70% depending on the course. The total mark in a subject is derived from both external sources [an outside examiner] and internal sources [the classroom teacher] – thus providing a more balanced indication of the student’s competency. For example: English HL: the exam is 50%; the oral component done by the classroom teacher is 30%; additionally, there are 2 particular papers done that are assessed externally – 20%. The final mark on a scale of 1-7 is based on an array of activities – not just a single exam as in AP.**

= IB Courses and Levels =

The school website lists 19 Advanced Placement courses and 24 IB courses. They have IB programs for Language, English, history, science, math as well as IB theater, IB music and IB arts. All of these are at the 11th-12th grade levels.

= IB Requirements =

In response to my question about prerequisites Nancy said, ** “We do not set prerequisites. We do interviews with interested students and their parents, we ask for teacher recommendations, we look at transcripts. Access is open to anyone who is motivated and wants to take on the challenge of the program.” **

= Stresses =

Nancy didn’t feel that there was any additional stress because of the IB program. **“It is definitely a difficult and challenging curriculum for students. There is no doubt about that. But, it is wonderful preparation for the kind of work that students will be doing in college. Our best feedback is from graduates in their first semester telling us how fully prepared they felt – that the transition to college level work was an easy one.** Her final answer was that she feels this is what all high schools should be doing! Use this space to share information on IB and AP classes.